1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a new surgical method for rejuvenating body members or for reshaping body members or for rejuvenating and reshaping body members by using bone grafting, rather than lifting of skin or injection of components such as collagen. This new surgical method comprises:
(a) gradually injecting an amount of physiological serum at a designated site of a body member, comprising but not limited to a face; PA1 (b) when a desired shape of the body member is achieved, photographing the body member, particularly the face, and determining the injected amount of physiological serum which is equivalent to a quantity of bone graft mixture (said "bone graft mixture" being a mixture of bone graft and hydroxylapatite) required for surgery; PA1 (c) before injection, combining said bone graft mixture with normal saline, comprising approximately 0.9% by weight sodium chloride, to form a paste-like substance; PA1 (d) making a number of incisions of few millimeters in oral epithelium or mucosa, and, from said number of incisions, making a tunnel to the designated site wherein the bone graft mixture is to be injected, insuring that no perforation occurs in the designated site of the bone graft mixture; PA1 (e) removing any extra normal saline from the bone graft mixture; PA1 (f) mixing the remaining bone graft mixture with few milliliters of fresh blood from the patient and injecting the desired quantity of bone graft mixture at the designated site; and PA1 (g) compacting the bone graft mixture gently in the designated site and closing said number of incisions by appropriate surgical sutures, while shaping the body member digitally by pressing on patient's outside skin until the desired shape of the body member is achieved. PA1 (a) gradually injecting an amount of physiological serum, including local anesthesia, at a designated site of the body member; PA1 (b) when a desired shape of the body member is achieved, photographing the body member and determining the injected amount of physiological serum which is equivalent to a quantity of bone graft mixture required for surgery; PA1 (c) before injection, combining said bone graft mixture with normal saline to form a paste-like bone graft mixture; PA1 (d) making a number of incisions in oral mucosa from which a sub-periosteal tunnel is created to the designated site wherein the bone graft mixture is to be inserted, insuring that no perforation occurs in the designated site of the bone graft mixture, and through said tunnel transporting the paste-like bone graft mixture to the designated site; PA1 (e) removing any extra normal saline from the paste-like bone graft mixture; PA1 (f) mixing the remaining paste-like bone graft mixture with few milliliters of fresh blood from the patient and injecting the desired quantity of bone graft mixture at the designated site; and PA1 (g) compacting the bone graft mixture gently in the designated site and closing said number of incisions by appropriate surgical sutures, while shaping the body member digitally by pressing on patient's outside skin until the desired shape of the body member is achieved.
2. General Background
The present invention relates to a new method for rejuvenating or a new method for reshaping a body member, as well as a combination of both methods, by using bone grafting. With age, more specifically around the age of forty, humans start loosing part of their bone mass throughout their body. The bones of the face are no exception to this natural phenomenon, which leads to collapse of facial skin and results in wrinkles.
Currently, surgeons rectify said collapse of skin, particularly facial skin, by lifting the skin or by injecting collagen and similar materials. Such a solution to the collapse of skin is thus limited to reshaping of soft tissues of the body member.
The purpose and novelty of the present method is a substitution, to the extent possible, of the lost bone mass by bone grafting. In order to use bone grafting for rejuvenation or reshaping, the present invention is recommended.
3. Description of the Prior Art
For many years, surgeons have been using different techniques as a means of rejuvenating or reshaping appearance of body members. One of such examples is use of face lifting techniques for rejuvenating and reshaping the face. A number of face lifting techniques have been developed in past several years. However, said number of face lifting techniques are usually relatively short-lasting. Due to aging, a need for having facial lifts speeds up rapidly. Some people have several facial lifts during their lifetime. Frequently complications result during and after performance of facial lifts. Substantial time may be required for achieving desired results during a lifetime. Some face lifting techniques may be relatively complicated and expensive. In addition, most of said face lifting techniques do not yield natural results because the appearance and expression of the face change with the facial lift. Thus, in a great number of cases, when the patient speaks or laughs, it becomes apparent that he or she has undergone facial lift.
In the past several years, there have been some tendencies to use bone grafting in several different areas of treatment. As an example, bone grafting has been used in "Alveolar Bone Grafting Process With Controlled Surface Active Ceramics", U.S. Pat. No. 4,725,234. In said patent, materials and dental procedures are disclosed for the treatment of resorbed or diseased periodontal and alveolar bone tissues. Biocompatible nonresorbable ceramic mixtures and compounds containing silicon, calcium, phosphorous, and sodium oxides and fluorides are prepared as powders or spheres and applied to defects or areas where it is desired to recontour the bone structure. This technique permits an improved method for corrective periodontal procedures and for alveolar ridge augmentation. However, the known prior art does not disclose the use of bone grafting as a rejuvenating or reshaping method as will be discussed.